Wednesday Research Seminar Series - Does diversity increase or decrease prosocial behavior? Investigating the roles of deprivation and empathy through empirical and experimental studies

We are pleased to invite you to our Wednesday Research Seminar. It will be held in-person on 12th February at Oasis Theatre. Wednesday Research Seminar Series was launched in 2008 and has featured more than 360 presentations to date. The seminars provide a forum for researchers to share their work. Presenters include faculty from Middlesex University Dubai and other universities in the United Arab Emirates, as well as researchers from other global institutions. Dr. Seongsoo will deliver seminar on:

“Does diversity increase or decrease prosocial behavior? Investigating the roles of deprivation and empathy through empirical and experimental studies”
Seongsoo (Simon) Jang 

Abstract

Existing research presents conflicting views on whether diversity enhances or diminishes prosocial behaviors. This study explores the intricate connections between diversity, deprivation, and prosocial behaviors conducting empirical and experimental studies. Analyzing neighborhood-level donation data and individual-level experimental data, we explore how diversity and deprivation jointly influence prosocial behavior. Study 1 analyzes a 10-year UK donation dataset, finding that residents in more diverse cities tend to donate more, particularly among those who are less deprived. Conversely, more deprived individuals donate less in deprived settings. Studies 2 and 3 replicate these results in the U.S. through randomized experiments, revealing that empathy mediates the relationship between diversity and prosocial behavior, with deprivation serving as a moderator. These findings provide valuable insights for charities and policymakers on the mechanisms behind prosocial behaviors, enabling more targeted interventions in different socioeconomic areas. Theoretically, this study examines the role of deprivation, viewed as resource scarcity, in influencing prosociality in diverse neighborhoods.

Presenter Bios

Dr. Seongsoo (Simon) Jang is Reader (Associate Professor) of Marketing in Cardiff Business School at Cardiff University, UK. As an interdisciplinary empirical researcher, he does quantitative research on digital marketing, health/sustainability marketing, and tourism analytics by (1) using real-world data collected from two-sided platforms, mobile app operators, and other commercial sources, (2) combining psychology/behavioral theories and advanced methods (hierarchical modeling, text mining, and spatial analytics), and (3) addressing contemporary marketing and business problems. He has published in decent marketing and tourism journals, including Journal of Product Innovation Management, British Journal of Management, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Industrial Marketing Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, and International Journal of Hospitality Management. He has done several funded/consulting projects for small and medium enterprises (UK, France), the largest bakery franchise (South Korea), the largest mobile exercise app operator (South Korea), and luxury hotel chain (Turkey). Before he started his full-time academic career from 2014, he had worked as a marketing strategy/analytics manager for a leading telecom company (SK Telecom) for 15 years in South Korea.